


A Civilian's Guide to Plotting and Piracy

by lunaofthemiste



Category: Battle for London in the Air (Roleplay)
Genre: Beck sucks, F/M, Gen, Inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean, Pirates AU, more characters will be added later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:07:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27158384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunaofthemiste/pseuds/lunaofthemiste
Summary: Welcome to a world with pirates, secret agendas, swordfights, ancient curses, corsets, terrible plans, and of course, lots of rum.Inspired by Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Relationships: Rebecca Tyler/Tristan Curtis
Kudos: 4





	A Civilian's Guide to Plotting and Piracy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Twelve years ago, Rebecca meets Tristan and commits petty theft.

The sea itself was nearly as gray as the sky, but twice as tumultuous as it crashed against the sides of the H.M.S. Dauntless. Rebecca looked out at the sea, humming to herself absent-mindedly. The journey with her family had been long and uneventful, but Rebecca was just itching for a change in scenery. Nothing ever changed - the ship sailed through the ocean, and if not for the weather, it would have seemed that the ship hadn’t moved at all.

Suddenly, Rebecca felt something on her shoulder and jumped, relaxing once she realized it was only her older brother, Nathan. He was only four years older than her, but at sixteen he was considered a man by many, including their father. 

“Relax, it’s just me,” Nathan said, moving his hand and leaning against the railing next to her.

“You still frightened me,” Rebecca pointed out, pouting. “Aren’t you supposed to be with father?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be below deck?” Nathan shot back, grinning. “Father’s discussing something rather boring, so I thought I would join you.”

“I’m not sure this is any more exciting,” Rebecca shrugged. “I was getting rather cooped up below deck. It’s too stuffy, especially for this length of the journey.”

Nathan nodded, looking out at the ocean. “Reckon there’s something out there?”

“Like what?”

“Pirates?”

“Father said the pirates were almost gone,” Rebecca pointed out, frowning.

“ _ Almost _ gone. I reckon it’d be fun to capture a pirate,” Nathan commented, while Rebecca raised her eyebrow at him. “What?”

“I don’t know about capturing a pirate, but it would be fun to meet one. Think of all the things they’ve seen; they’ve traveled the world!” Rebecca smiled, but that quickly faded when she heard someone clearing their throat behind her.

“Pirates may have traveled but they are simply vile and dissolute creatures, the lot of them,” Beck said sternly, adjusting his lieutenant’s uniform, “and I intend to see to it that anyone who sails under a pirate flag, or wears a pirate brand, gets what they deserve.”

Nathan looked Beck up and down, attempting an intimidation tactic. “Are you just here to lecture us about pirates, Lieutenant Beck?” He asked arrogantly. 

“In fact, your father is looking for you, Mr. Tyler,” Beck answered, “and your sister should be below deck with the other women. The sea is far too dangerous for them.”

“How come she gets to be out here, then?” Rebecca asked innocently, gesturing to a woman standing on the opposite side of the deck. The other woman’s long, brown hair was blowing in the breeze as she looked out at the sea. She was using the ropes to get a better view, which caused her dress to blow in the wind as well. Rebecca thought she looked rather magnificent.

Beck turned and noticed the woman, frowning. “Faye! Get down from there!” He called out, heading towards her.

Nathan sighed, turning to Rebecca. “Do you want to go down now or later?” He asked.

Rebecca shrugged. “I’ll wait until later.”

“Very well,” Nathan nodded, walking away. Rebecca turned her attention back to the water. Everything seemed to be normal, but there was a small speck now on the horizon. As the speck got bigger Rebecca realized what it was - a boy, unconscious, floating on some driftwood in the water.

“Look! There's a boy in the water!” She yelled, pointing down.

Nathan looked where Rebecca was pointing, noticing the boy as well. “Man overboard!” He yelled, and several others, including Beck, echoed his calls. The deck suddenly became crowded with people, all moving quickly to save the boy. Rebecca watched some of the sailors use a boathook to snag the boy when he passed the Dauntless, and carefully bring him aboard. Instantly, there was a crowd surrounding the boy, and Rebecca pushed her way through to get a better look.

“It’s a miracle he's still breathing,” Beck commented.

“Where did he come from?” Nathan asked.

Rebecca turned and looked in the direction the boy came, freezing when she saw that the sea was no longer empty. “Look!” She pointed again, this time at the wreckage of a ship, still partially ablaze.

“What happened here?” Nathan asked quietly, breaking the silence.

Beck scoffed, “Who knows? It could have been anything.”

“Perhaps an explosion in the powder magazine,” Faye interjected as she walked over to the group, observing the damage in the water. “Merchant vessels often run heavily armed.”

Beck rolled his eyes. “Lot of good it did them. It can only be one thing - pirates!”

“There is no proof of that,” Nathan shook his head. “It could have been an accident, but if there is even the slightest chance one of those poor souls are still alive, we cannot abandon them!”

“I completely sympathize, but how will we do that?” Beck asked.

Rebecca watched Faye narrow her eyes and could tell she was thinking of something as she turned to face the men. “Men should go and unlash the boats to explore the damage. We need to move the boy, so the deck is clear in case of any survivors or valuable goods. In case of an attack, we need to strike the sails and have the gunnery crew take the jackets off the cannons.” She ordered, but then looked annoyed when no one moved to act.

“Faye, you should let the men handle this type of talk,” Beck waved her aside, before addressing the crew. “Come about and strike the sails! Unlash the boats! Gunnery crew - jackets off the cannons! Oh, and move the boy aft. We'll need the deck clear.” He ordered, and the sailors sprung into action.

The boy was moved out of the way, behind the wheel, and Rebecca followed, reluctant to let him out of her sights. Nathan grabbed her shoulder to get her attention. “Watch over him, all right? He’ll probably be confused when he wakes up.”

Rebecca nodded as Nathan left, and kneeled down next to the boy. He looked around her age, with tan skin and blonde hair that was slick to his face from the sea. Rebecca couldn’t help but reach out and gently brush the hair from his eyes. 

Suddenly, the boy grabbed her wrist, awake now. Rebecca gasped but didn’t yell. “It’s okay,” she said calmly, “you’re safe, we rescued you. My name is Rebecca Tyler.”

The boy looked around frantically, but let go of Rebecca’s wrist. “Tristan Curtis,” he answered.

Rebecca smiled down at Tristan. “I’m watching over you, Tristan,” she said, which seemed to put Tristan at ease. He blinked rapidly before closing his eyes once more, seemingly slipping back into unconsciousness. Rebecca looked down at him, noticing a chain around his neck. She carefully pulled the chain from under his shirt and picked up the medallion it was attached to.

One side was blank, but the other bore a skull - the marker of a pirate.

Rebecca knew that Tristan couldn’t  _ possibly _ be a pirate. He was only about her age and certainly didn’t look the part.

But could the medallion be enough to convince the others that he was?

Rebecca couldn’t take that chance. She glanced around and noticed that everyone else was busy, so she took the medallion from Tristan.

“Has he said anything?” Faye asked from behind her. Rebecca jumped and turned to face her, hiding the medallion behind her back.

“He said his name is Tristan Curtis, that’s all I found out,” she said quickly, trying to figure out if Faye had noticed anything.

Faye nodded. “Anything else?”

Rebecca shook her head. “Nothing. He must be tired from being in the water."

“He must be,” Faye agreed, seemingly convinced. “Let me know when he wakes up again,” she said, before walking away.

Once Faye was gone, Rebecca looked at the coin again. Could it really have belonged to a pirate, or was  _ Tristan _ a pirate? Rebecca wasn’t sure of the answer, but she knew that she had to keep it a secret for now, until she could find out more.


End file.
